Jakaylah
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly related to the Arabic name Jakilah.
Name Census estimates that about 314 living Americans carry the first name Jakaylah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jakaylah today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jakaylah births was 2009 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jakaylah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
314
~ 1 in 1,091,574 Americans
Peak year
2009
32 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,138
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Jakaylah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jakaylah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 139 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jakaylah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Jakaylah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jakaylahs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Jakaylah
The given name Jakaylah has its origins in the Arabic language. It is a combination of the Arabic words "Jaka" meaning "awakened" and "Lah" which is a shortened form of the name of God, Allah. This suggests that the name carries a spiritual meaning, referring to one who is awakened or enlightened in their faith.
The earliest recorded use of the name Jakaylah dates back to the 7th century CE, during the early years of the Islamic Golden Age. It was a period of great cultural and intellectual advancement in the Arab world, which likely influenced the popularity of names with religious connotations.
One of the first notable individuals to bear the name Jakaylah was a renowned Islamic scholar and poet who lived in the 8th century CE. Her full name was Jakaylah bint Al-Muqanna, and she was known for her contributions to the study of Arabic literature and poetry.
In the 10th century, there was a famous Sufi mystic named Jakaylah Al-Ghazali, who was renowned for his spiritual teachings and writings on the path of self-knowledge and union with the divine.
During the 12th century, a woman named Jakaylah Al-Andalusia rose to prominence as a skilled physician and herbalist in the Andalusian region of Spain. Her medical treatises and expertise in the use of natural remedies were highly regarded in her time.
Another notable figure was Jakaylah Al-Baghdadi, a 13th-century mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad, who made significant contributions to the development of algebra and the study of celestial bodies.
In the 16th century, a woman named Jakaylah Al-Qahira was celebrated as a skilled calligrapher and artist in Cairo, known for her intricate and beautiful works of Arabic calligraphy and illuminated manuscripts.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Jakaylah, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and the diverse fields in which individuals with this name made their mark throughout history.
People
Jakaylah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jakaylah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jakaylah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jakaylah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 314 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jakaylah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,091,574 US residents.
Is Jakaylah a common name?
We classify Jakaylah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 317 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jakaylah most popular?
The single biggest year for Jakaylah was 2009, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jakaylah is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Jakaylah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jakaylah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jakaylah in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Jakaylah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jakaylah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Jakaylah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Jakaylah?
Want to know how many Americans are named Jakaylah? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.